Device for starting internal-combustion engines.



A. P. FOSTER.

DEVICE FOR STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED DEC.22, 1910.

1,081,731 Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

D i QSTEQRIL OF AS R NGE. NEW JE SEY- DEVICE'FOR STARTING INTEBNAL-COIIBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d De ,16,1913,

ppl ati n Q QQ QW bP- W 1319- 6 8 13 9 4 3 7 7b all :whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, P. FOSTER, a

Y citizen ofs-th e United States, and -'residentof East;; .0range,; inthe county-of Essex and State of New J ersey', have invented certainnew. and; usefula Improvements in Devices forStartinglnternal-Combustion- Engines,- of which the following is aspecification.

Myinvention relates; to a: cranking device ton use-in startingninternalcombustion en:

gines, whether employed on automobiles, -boats,- aeroplanes, orelsewhereand its. ob-. ject is to provide a. device of simple constructionand-one thatis easily and quickly 04p:-

erated:

The invention is illustrated by theaccompanying 5 drawing which shows aportion; of.

a car on which is. mounted'the mechanism about to be. described.

l is the car. 'Iihefiy wheel Qis-furnished with gear 2; shaft 3'isfixedlymoun ted in brackets 4, a, fastened to the carby bolts-5; gear 6-is fastened by in 6 to sleeve 8 rotatably mounted on sai, shaft 3 andlongitudinally confined-thereon by said brackets 4; 4"; gear 7 issplined tosaidsleeve 8, pre. venting rotation but permittinglongitudinal motion thereon and is adapted to be forced into and 'outofen agementwith gear 2 spring-9 encircles sieve 8, being con? finedbetween the annular shoulder 9 on said sleeve and the hub of gear 7;

The lever 10 is fulerumed at 13 on bracket 4, being slotted at its lowerend t engage stud 11 on collar 12 loosely mounted andltmgitudinallymovable onsleeve 8 and abutting on the hub of gear 7; saidlever 10 has its upper end in the form of: a

treadle 14.

The motor 16 is mounted on the car and furnished with gear 17 which enages gear 6; said motor is operated .by an e ectric circuit includingwires 18, one of which is fixed to spring contact 19 attached to the carand the other of which engages contact 20 slidingly mounted on the car,the two contacts being normally separated by spring 21 arranged on thecar and engaging contact 20. The operation of the machine is as follows:The drawing shows the starter in its operative position. Normally thestarter is-in its inoperative position, gear -7 being held out ofengagement with gear 2 by spring 9 and the treadle 14 being held in itsuppermost position by said spring; contacts 19, 20 being separated byspring 21; the

circuit being open and. themoton 16 beingat rest. Tostart the engine=theoperator, placeshis foot: upon treadle il4 and depresses said treadle;thereby forcinggea-r 'Zintoen:v gagementwith. gear 2, compressing spring9 and thereupon.forcingcontact 20rintoienr. gagement With contact 19thereby-closing thelcircuit, starting themotor. and, through. thegearing described, starting the fly wheel. Assoon as the engineisstartedgthe operators-removes hisfootfrom the-treadle andspring.fiseparatesi (indirectly) theycontacts opensthe. circuit; anddisengagesgears 17. and 2f, permitting the.- motor to come to. a,stateoflirest.

It, is obvious tthatlshaft 3, instead of being fixed toibracketsi l, maybe rotatably mount: ed. thereon. Sleeve 8 -.could be; omitted and gearGfixed on-said shaft 3 (ifrotatableas justsuggested. and gear 7 splined.thereto.

I It isequally o vious. that a manually oper.

ated lever-may be substitutedefon the lever shown; It is apparent alsothatgears firand; 17 may be; omitted and. other means en=1- ployed'foroperatively connecting the motor; withsleeve 8, orshaft 3 ifthefmodification suggested beemployed. Gear 2%; in-

stead of being on fly wheel 2,- mightbe onthe fly wheel shaft.

I do not limit-my invention inanyway bythe arrangement shown which ma 1be varied to meet diiieringv conditions. indiffermg situations.-

Que; advantage of the device islthat it is.

small and may be compactly made so as to occupy very little, room.,

caving described my invention, what I claimrand desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s:

' 1. A starting device for internal combus-v r motor operativelyconnected with the lastmentioned gearan electric circuit normally openand including normally separated contacts and adapted, when closed, toenergize the motor; a spring separating the contacts; a collar loose ymounted on the shaft; a

counteracting spring mounted on the shaft;

a lever under the control of the operator engaging the collar andadapted therethrough to force the 'movable gear into engagement with thefly wheel gear, thereby compressing the last mentioned spring, and thereupon force the contacts together, thereby closing the circuit andcompressing the first mentioned spring.

2. A starting device for internal combustion engines including incombination a fly Wheel and a motor normally operatively disconnected;an electric circuit normally open and adapted, when closed; to energizethe motor; means under the control of the operator for operativelyconnecting the fly wheel and motor and thereupon closing the circuit;and automatic means for opening the circuit and thereupon operativelydisconnecting the fly wheel and motor.

3. In a starting device for internal combustion engines, a shaft; a gearthereon, rotatable therewith and movable therealong; a gear fixed to theshaft; a motor operatively connected with the last mentioned. gear; anelectric circuit normally open and including normally separated contactsand adapted, when closed, to energize the motor; a spring separating thecontacts; a collar loosely mounted on the shaft; a counteracting springmounted on the shaft; a lever underthe control of the operator engagingsaid collar and adapted therethrough to force the movable gear along theshaft, thereby compressing the last mentioned spring, and thereuponforce the contacts together, thereby closing the circuit and compressingthe first mentioned spring.

4. In a startingdevice for internal combustion engines, 'ashaft; a gearmounted thereon, rotatable therewith and movable therealong; a gearfixed to the shaft; a motor operatively connected with the lastmentioned gear; an electric circuit normally open and adapted, whenclosed, to energize the motor; means under the control of the operatorfor forcing the movable gear along the. shaft and thereupon closing t ecircuit;

circuit and thereupon operatively disconnecting the motor and engine.

6. In a starting device for internal combustion engines a motor;mechanism connected therewith and operated thereby and including amovable member adapted to be operatively connected with an engine; anelectric circuit normally open and adapted, when closed, to energize themotor; means under the control of the operator for opera tivelyconnectingthe movable member of the mechanism with an engine and there-,

upon closing the circuit and automatic means for opening the circuit andthereupon operatively disconnecting the movable member of the mechanismfrom an engine.

7. A starting device for internal combustion engines including incombination an engine and a motor normally operatively disconnected;means under the control of the operator for operatively connecting themotor with the engine and thereupon energizing the motor and automaticmeans for deenergizing the motor and thereupon operatively disconnectingthe motor and engine.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

' ALFRED P. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

DANIEL PnrroHARD, TALLMADGE W. Fos'rER.

